Knutsen v. CEGALIS

*111Dooley, J.,

¶ 18. dissenting. The majority’s holding in this case sends two unfortunate messages to litigants and family courts in future parental rights proceedings. First, a parent who attempts to cooperate in a custody transition may lose his or her custody rights because of the cooperation, and therefore parents must contest custody at every stage of the proceeding to preserve their rights. Second, the trial court’s discretion to determine the best interests of the child is limited to decisions involving the immediate short-term needs of the child and cannot include changes to respond to…